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Werechickens[1] are ghosts that take possession of chickens. Unless extracted from host, it will continue a pattern of repetitious behavior that involves infecting human beings.

History[]

Origins unrevealed, a certain type of ethereal entity took on the form of totemic creatures from the physical realm known as chickens and became known as Werechickens. The Werechicken ghost exclusively seeks out chickens as its host body. After possession is achieved, the Werechicken conducts ectoplasmic metastasis which spreads its presence throughout the host's body and exerts its will over the muscles of the host. Also at this point, the host is transmogrified into a free-standing chicken monstrosity. The Werechicken then engages in obsessive repetitious behavior patterns, haunting locales populated by both chickens and people.

The Werechicken then stalks and attacks human victims. Once bitten, the victim themselves is infected as if by some ecto contagion that transmogrifies them into a Werechicken, as well.[2] The human-transmogrified Werechickens can only appear during a full moon and engage in their own ritual and seek out the nearest high point to lay a Werechicken Egg.[3][4] This unique spectral spawning husk is for all intent and purpose is a giant pink egg as the entity chooses to reproduce in a similar fashion to the chicken. Somehow the Werechicken spawn is born already possessing an animal host. The spawn then rapidly matures and also seeks the highest nearby point to spawn another Werechicken.

In the late 1980s, in the month of August,[5] a Werechicken appeared somewhere in rural New York at the farm residence of a couple named Zeke and Maude during a full moon. It raided the couple's chicken coop then waited for a human to investigate the noise. Maude searched the chicken coop and was infected by the Werechicken. After transmogrifying into a Werechicken, she terrorized Zeke and left their home to lay a Werechicken Egg atop the roof. Zeke called the Ghostbusters and reported a giant chicken ate his wife. The Ghostbusters believed this to be a false alarm but were keen on taking on any form of distraction from Egon's Weather Balloon project.

While Ray and Winston remained on the farm to continue searching for the Werechickens, Peter and Slimer confiscated the Werechicken Egg and transported it back to the Firehouse. Egon remarked it was the second largest egg he'd seen but was too busy to study it.[6] The Egg was placed in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, Ray and Winston were able to locate the first Werechicken and trapped the ghost with two Proton Streams. At some point later, Slimer tried to make an omelet out it by placing the Egg in the oven. This prematurely birthed the Werechicken spawn and it wandered the Firehouse in search of a victim. It bit and infected Egon then left the grounds. Egon transmogrified into a Werechicken but changed back to normal when the full moon was obscured.

Ray quickly gathered the evidence at hand and found an entry for the Werechicken. For human victims, the Werechicken transmogrification can be eliminated with Chickenbane Soup.[7][8][9] The antidote called for one tablespoon of paprika, one clove of garlic, parsley for color, one cup of gelatin, and one tablespoon of chickenbane. However, there was no chickenbane present. After Egon ingested the partial antidote, only his head would remain in its normal state. Undaunted, they went after the Werechicken spawn. Peter and Slimer used Ecto-2 while Ray and Winston drove Ecto-1. They arrived at a local supermarket where witnesses claimed the Werechicken was in the range of 10–30 feet tall.[10][11][12] It was soon confirmed when the spawn, now 50 feet tall, marched down 34th Street toward the Empire State Building.[13] It intended to lay its Werechicken Egg atop the famous building. The Ghostbusters managed to wrangle and confine the ghost in three streams but they soon found out their only trap was full, Egon was too busy to empty it earlier that day. They improvised and utilized Egon's Weather Balloon to produce an intense snowstorm and freeze the giant Werechicken before it spawned.

It is assumed that the Ghostbusters later returned to the Empire State Building and trapped the ghost. They then were able to exorcise both Egon and Maude with servings of Chickenbane Soup.

Description[]

The Werechicken ghost is a green monstrous spirit with three mouths, sharp teeth, and a chicken's distinctive features: the comb, the fleshy crest on the head, and wattles, hanging flaps of skin under the beaks. It has four fingered claws for appendages but is indistinct below the chest.

The Werechicken that was the source of a contagion in New York was a free standing chicken monstrosity with brown feathers, a dark brown mane, glowing red eyes, sharp fanged teeth, a prominent comb, wattle, and claws. It was three times the size of a standard rooster.[14]

The infected human known as Maude had the appearance of a Werechicken hen. She had white feathers, blue spots, a brown head, comb, wattle, and red eyes. In Werechicken form, she also wore Maude's kitchen apron. She was six feet in height.[15]

Dr. Egon Spengler's Werechicken form is a bland yellow feather plumage, dark brown feathers, a white comb, red eyes, dark orange claws, a yellow beak with sharp teeth, and wattle. The Werechicken form also wears Egon's prescription glasses.

The Werechicken spawned from the Maude Werechicken, first appeared as an infant version of the first Werechicken. In its mature and giant form, the spawn's plumage changed from brown to white. According to eyewitness accounts, the spawn rapidly grew from 10 feet in height to 15 to 30, and halted growth at 50 feet in height.

Powers[]

Werechicken ghosts have the advanced ability of possession. Their target of possession is only organic and always a chicken. A standard Werechicken ghost can be confined with two Proton Streams. The ghost and the transmogrified host both give off P.K.E. readings and can be detected by the Ghostbusters' P.K.E. Meter.

The giant Werechicken possessed enhanced strength in accordance to its massive size. Its ghost could be confined with three Proton Streams.

For unspecified reasons, a Werechicken spawn can't be measured by the P.K.E. Meter while it is in the Werechicken Egg.[16]

Basis In Legend[]

The Werechicken appears to be loosely based and related to the more popular legend of Werewolves.

The cure for human transmogrified Werechickens is Chickenbane Soup. In reality, the suffix "-bane" refers to any sort of poisonous herb, either to use against, or to be poisonous enough to stop or kill particular animals, i.e., "fleabane," "dogbane," or "leopard's bane." In particular, the most famous of the "-banes," "Wolfsbane," has been used for thousands of years as a poison, often for contaminating water supplies and killing beasts of prey (hence the name), as a medicine to restore consciousness and nerve-function, and as a psychoactive compound, i.e., as one of the main ingredients of witches' hallucinogenic ointments to make people think they're flying or turning into wolves. [citation needed]

Conflicts[]

It is not explained why the Werechicken spawn became so huge; if this was a normal stage in its maturity or if Slimer's act of cooking it in the oven bestowed it this unique ability.

Trivia[]

Appearances[]

The Real Ghostbusters

References[]

  1. Ray Stantz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 05:04-05:08). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "Wait a minute. I think we're dealing with a... a... Werechicken."
  2. Ray Stantz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 12:40-12:45). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "Anyone a Werechicken bites will turn into another Werechicken."
  3. Ray Stantz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 12:09-12:13). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "It's the Moon! Werechickens only appear during the Full Moon, ..."
  4. Ray Stantz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 05:39-05:40). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "A Werechicken Egg!"
  5. Winston Zeddemore (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 18:57-19:00). Time Life Entertainment. Winston says: "Yeah, but how do you freeze a 50 foot chicken in August?"
  6. Egon Spengler (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 06:38-06:42). Time Life Entertainment. Egon says: "Interesting. That's the second largest egg I've ever seen."
  7. Ray Stantz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 12:50-12:53). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "According to this, there is an antidote."
  8. Ray Stantz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 12:59-13:09). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "One tablespoon paprika. One clove of garlic. Some parsley for color. Cup of gelatin."
  9. Ray Stantz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 13:22-13:24). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "And one tablespoon of chickenbane."
  10. Box Boy (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 15:04-15:07). Time Life Entertainment. Box Boy says: "It's in there! A big chicken! It's gotta be ten feet tall!"
  11. Box Boy (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 15:08-15:11). Time Life Entertainment. Box Boy says: "Maybe 15. I dunno. BIG!"
  12. Butcher (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 15:23-15:24). Time Life Entertainment. Butcher says: "Had to be 30 feet tall!"
  13. Peter Venkman (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 16:58-17:00). Time Life Entertainment. Peter says: "It's heading down 34th towards the Empire State Building."
  14. Capizzi, Duane and Roberts, Steven (2009). The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection Volume Four Disc Five, "Poultrygeist" Script p. 3. CPT Holdings, Inc. Line reads: "Red-eyed, grotesque, three times the size of an ordinary rooster as it stands framed in the moonlit doorway."
  15. Capizzi, Duane and Roberts, Steven (2009). The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection Volume Four Disc Five, "Poultrygeist" Script p. 4. CPT Holdings, Inc. Line reads: "Zeke's jaw hangs open, speechless, as he stares at the fanged, drooling, six-foot Werechicken."
  16. Peter Venkman (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 05:49-05:52). Time Life Entertainment. Peter says: "Look, if this is a Werechicken Egg... how come there's no P.K.E. reading?"
  17. Capizzi, Duane and Roberts, Steven (2009). The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection Volume Four Disc Five, "Poultrygeist" Script p. 24. CPT Holdings, Inc.
  18. Ray Stantz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Poultrygeist" (1988) (DVD ts. 12:37-12:40). Time Life Entertainment. Ray says: "Wereaardvarks... Werebears... Werechickens!"
  19. Capizzi, Duane and Roberts, Steven (2009). The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection Volume Four Disc Five, "Poultrygeist" Script p. 22. CPT Holdings, Inc. Ray says: "Tonight's the first--lunar eclipse in ten years!"
  20. T-Rex Jones deviantArt Werechicken-demon WIP 3/19/10

Gallery[]

Primary Canon[]

Secondary Canon[]

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